Read Online Sighs Matter by Marianne Stillings - Free Book Online

scattered as Taylor pulled to a stop in front of the farmhouse at the end of the long gravel drive.
    He gave a quick glance around, pretending he’d never laid eyes on the place before. It was closing in on five in the afternoon. Sunshine glistened off the pond just beyond the barn, while graceful trees shaded the house. Agatha lay sprawled under a rocking chair on the porch, trying to escape the heat. Other than the animals, the place seemed quiet.
    He turned off the ignition. Time for a little subtle interrogation.
    “I’ve seen some of your aunt’s old movies,” he said. “She was really beautiful.”
    A smile tilted the ends of Claire’s mouth. “I think Aunt Sadie is still beautiful.”
    “Does she miss Hollywood?”
    Her smile broadened. “Probably. She talks about the old days a lot. Sometimes it seems she has a little, um, difficulty letting go of the grandeur.”
    “You mean, like Norma Desmond?”
    Claire snickered. “Nothing so dramatic as in Sunset Boulevard , but it must be hard to have been so famous, so glamorous, the toast of the town, and then one day give it all up to—”
    She stopped herself. Licking her lips, she said, “Basically, I think she’s pretty grounded in reality. Mostly anyway. I know she misses the old days.”
    “That’s not what you were going to say. Why did the fabulous Sadie Lancaster leave Hollywood?”
    Shrugging, she avoided his eyes. “Long story. Emotionally, I don’t think she’s ever left. She’s virtually memorized every line of dialogue she ever heard.” With a lopsided grin, she said, “Sadie and Hitch make quite a pair.”
    “Is that her boyfriend?”
    “Hitch?” She laughed at that, her eyes closed, her neck arched, and he found he wanted to grab her, say something, do something, anything to keep her laughing. The Claire he’d known once upon a time.
    Shifting her body in his direction, she said, “Sadie’s fiancé’s name is Mort. Hitchcock is Aunt Sadie’s African Grey parrot. She brought him with her when she left Hollywood twenty years ago. She keeps him in his cage in her room when she’s gone, but when she’s home, Hitch has the run of the place.”
    “A parrot, huh. Does he talk?”
    She chuckled. “Getting him to talk is easy. It’s shutting him up that’s the trick.”
    “What about Mort?”
    “He talks, too.”
    “Very funny.”
    “You won’t think so once you’ve met Mort.”
    Jumping into the tiny opening she’d given him, he said, “Don’t you like this Mort guy?”
    Claire tilted her head as she unfastened her seat belt, taking her time to consider his remark. Her brow furrowed slightly.
    “I think it’s nice Aunt Sadie’s involved with a man her own age. She’s been a widow for twenty-five years. I’m sure there are times when she’s been . . . lonely. Mort is somebody she can talk to, share common generational memories with.”
    Her words were supportive, but her tone and body language told a different story.
    “But . . .” he drawled, waited.
    As though deciding what to share with him, she nibbled on the corner of her bottom lip. He let himself watch her. Just . . . watch her. It was easy to do. Claire was one of those rare women who was beautiful without being obvious about it. Everything about her was understated, which was why, the first time he’d looked into her eyes, he felt like he’d been zapped with a stun gun. Now, at this moment, it was all he could do to keep his mind on business and his hands to himself.
    “Mort owns a funeral home and a crematorium,” she said slowly. “Mortimer’s Mortuary, downtown.” She smiled. “Now, I know it sounds judgmental of me, and I’m sure most funeral directors are regular people just like you and me . . .”
    “Yet . . .”
    “He gives me the creeps.” She slapped her thigh with her open palm. “There. I’ve said it. I’m a bad person, I know, but I swear, Mort could be a grocery clerk or a jet pilot or a stockbroker, and he’d still give me the